1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of safety restraints for children and particularly to the field of safety restraint systems for use in vehicles such as automobiles.
2. Statement of the Problem
Presently available vehicular safety restraint systems, such as shoulder/lap belt systems, are installed by the manufacturer in most modern vehicles. These safety restraints, while normally effective for their intended purposes with adult-sized passengers, are often ineffective with children. However, children are under the greatest risk of injury in the case of automobile collisions due to their size and weight. Thus, infant car seats are provided to protect infants and small children. These infant car seats are required under many state laws for children under a certain age and/or weight category. These seats are normally certified for use only for children under certain ages and weights. Typically these limits are for children under the age of four years and under forty pounds.
Children over these limits, for whom infant seats are no longer suitable, may still have problems using the manufacturer-installed safety restraints. These systems, while possessing some degree of adjustability, do not adequately fit most children until the children are a certain minimum size. Typically, this limit is about sixty to eighty pounds, which for most children is about age nine years. The ninety-fifth percentile median weight and size for nine year children is about eighty-eight pounds and fifty-six inches. The shoulder straps of the manufacturer-installed safety restraints tend to ride across the face and neck of children below this size. This increases the likelihood of injury to the neck and spine of the children. More importantly, children on whom such restraints are used tend to move the shoulder strap behind them or under their arm and across their chest, thus reducing the effectiveness of these restraint systems. Additionally, the width of the spacing of the lap belt is intended for larger bodies. These two factors combine so that the child is easily catapulted out of the restraints in the event of collisions, crashes, rapid deceleration or other similar situations. Thus, children who have outgrown infant car seats but on whom the manufacturer-installed restraints are not effective are in particular danger during automobile crashes or rapid deceleration.
There is often a lack of compliance with the manufacturer-installed restraint systems by children between the ages of three and nine years. Children in this age group are prone to fidget and to wriggle out of the safety belts, particularly the shoulder straps. This requires constant attention to ensure compliance, which in itself may increase the likelihood of accidents since attention is often diverted from the driving of the vehicle.
Several systems are presently marketed which attempt to address these problems. These tend to fall within several categorical types. The first type is simply a booster seat to ensure so that the shoulder strap is in a more appropriate position. These booster seats are bulky and must be stored and/or transported between vehicles. Also, these booster seats reduce the effectiveness of the overall restraint system since the booster seat is normally not secured to the vehicle. Additionally, children beyond the age required to be infant seats usually do not want to be in a "car seat".
A second type of restraint system is intended to direct the shoulder strap away from the head of the child. For instance one system, sold under the trade name "SAFE-FIT", is widely marketed. This system is a padded sleeve through which a vehicle shoulder belt is passed. The sleeve is intended to keep the shoulder strap off the child's neck and face. However this system is not adjustable and is useful only on children within a limited range of sizes. Additionally, this system is secured in such a manner that the lap belt may be lifted to the waist and increases the risk of abdominal injury.
A third type of restraint system is a bulky restraint which is secured to existing manufacturer-installed restraint systems. One such commercially marketed system is the "AUTO SAFETY VEST" sold through the catalog of One Step Ahead, Lake Bluff, Ill. This system is similar to a life preserver vest in which the rear of the vest buckles to a seat belt. This system is designed for children in the upper weight limit still in infant car seats, typically within twenty to forty-five pounds. This system tends to be uncomfortable thus creating a problem with compliance.
Another problem with the above-described systems and other available restraint systems is the ease of release in the case of an emergency. A restraint device must easily release the child should an emergency arise, such as in the aftermath of a vehicle collision. The known prior systems are difficult to release in such situations.
Many of the prior safety restraints are either bulky or difficult to remove once mounted. This limits the availability of use of these devices since a child may be transported in a variety of vehicles. For instance, children are often transported to school or day care via car pools, vans or buses. This would require a plurality of safety restraints for each vehicle if the safety restraint is not compact and easy to use.
Another problem arises due to the lack of shoulder belts. Many older vehicles, airline passenger seats, school bus seats as well as some seating positions in new model automobiles are equipped only with lap belts. It is difficult or impractical to retrofit such vehicles with currently available child restraint systems. However, the lack of such restraints are especially dangerous to children due to the susceptibility of injury to children in accidents or rapid deceleration. Many of the prior child safety restraints are not usable without shoulder straps.
Presently there is no safety restraint system that comfortably and effectively provides protection for a range of sizes of small children in the event of a vehicular accident or rapid deceleration.